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Security officers reach agreement for better pay, insurance www.privateofficer.com
Security officers reach agreement for better pay, insurance http://www.privateofficer.com
In a groundbreaking victory that will pave the way for similar gains by other workers in Minnesota, private security officers in Minneapolis and Saint Paul have won access to affordable health insurance, higher wages, improved training and equipment, and sick leave, their union announced.
A tentative contract agreement, covering 800 security officers who protect people and buildings, was reached late Tuesday between Service Employees International Union Local 26 and five Twin Cities security companies.
“This victory for security officers is a major step forward in restoring Minnesota’s middle class,” said Javier Morillo, president of Local 26. “Now, working families in the Twin Cities are prepared to keep up the fight to show what can and should be done to ensure everyone in our state has access to quality, affordable health care.”
The five-year agreement, which will be put to a ratification vote on Saturday with a recommendation by the bargaining team for approval, includes the following improvements:
• Affordable health care for full-time security officers for the first time ever. The cost of single coverage will drop to $20 per month and family coverage to $260 per month.
• Wage increases of 25 to 32 percent that begin to lift working families out of poverty. Wages will increase by at least 50 cents in each year, with some officers seeing increases of up to $3.20 over the course of the contract.
• A process for building stronger training and equipment standards to improve public safety in Minneapolis and Saint Paul. Officers at Block E in downtown Minneapolis have already been fitted for bullet-proof vests as a result of heightened public awareness due to security officers’ efforts.
• Sick days that will allow full-time security officers to access the health care they need to stay healthy at work.
The tentative bargaining agreement with security contractors ABM, Allied Barton, American, Securitas, and Viking comes after officers held a one-day strike in February highlighting the need for affordable health care for all Minnesotans and after two major demonstrations involving civil disobedience.
“I have four kids without health insurance, so this contract will make all the difference for my family,” said Howard Worley, a security officer at Town Square in Saint Paul and a member of the union bargaining committee. “Now we need to keep it going and win affordable health care for everyone who stood with us and for all working families in Minnesota.”
Security officers drew on broad support in the community, including faith leaders and other members of the Workers Interfaith Network and ISAIAH and local elected officials.
“I congratulate the security officers and companies on reaching a contract agreement that will ensure the health and safety of those who work to keep our city safe every day,” said Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak.
“Everyone in the Twin Cities won today,” added Saint Paul Mayor Chris Coleman, “I hope that this marks the beginning of a broader solution to the health care crisis in our state.”
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UNF students busted in drug investigation www.privateofficer.com
UNF students arrested in drug investigation http://www.privateofficer.com
Five students have been arrested after investigators exposed what they said were drug-dealing operations at the University of North Florida.
Loaded guns and marijuana were discovered in the students’ homes on or near campus as authorities performed search warrants Thursday for five students.
The investigation, conducted by the UNF and Jacksonville Beach police, began in December after a tip from a student about drug dealing on campus, UNF Police Chief Mark Foxworth said.
There is no indication that these operations were connected, but Foxworth said authorities wanted to be proactive with the investigation about drugs on campus.
Police arrested 19-year-old Christopher James Lee Holland, 18-year-old Josh Blake Epstein, 19-year-old Ryan Javier Plank, 21-year-old David Warren Davis and 18-year-old Alix Margolies.
Another woman, 35-year-old Saudia Orso, was arrested during the investigation on charges of stealing money during one of the drug deals, Foxworth said.
Three of the arrest reports obtained by the Times-Union detailed the police searches. The other reports were not available.
Police searched Plank’s apartment at Osprey Crossings on the UNF campus and found a glass bong, 14 grams of marijuana, a scale and $884 in cash, according to his arrest report.
In Epstein’s apartment at the Thornton Park Apartments at 8450 W. Gate Parkway, police found a Smith and Wesson automatic handgun, a loaded magazine and marijuana in a clear plastic jar on the living-room floor, according to his arrest report.
A warrant search of Holland’s home at 11800 UNF Drive resulted in several sugar cubes with LSD, the report said.
UNF spokeswoman Sharon Ashton said the students will appear before a student conduct board to decide if they will remain in school or be allowed to live in student housing.
Foxworth said drug dealing fluctuates on campus but generally isn’t a major problem. Especially with weapons involved, he said police wanted to address the on-campus dangers in this case.
“We wanted to go away from one student selling a joint to another and go after the students who are doing multiple deals on campus,” Foxworth said.
Officials at the Jacksonville Beach Police Department could not be reached for comment.
Ashton said drug dealing is generally not as pervasive on campus compared to other schools like University of Florida or Florida State University. Still, she said, UNF takes the problem very seriously.
A university committee comprised of UNF police, housing officials, student counselors and others meet to share information about important cases, she said.
“Luckily, our students have a very low tolerance for this behavior and they report it,” she said. “We just want people to know that we won’t allow this on our campus and we will be proactive to stop it.”
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Shoplifter charged with drug offenses www.privateofficer.com
Shoplifter charged with drug offenses http://www.privateofficer.com
A woman seen by store personnel concealing multiple items into her purse and a bag and then not paying for them is in trouble with the law.
Police say that they responded to the West Rome Walmart where a woman was being detained by store security.
Melissa Deane Salter, 27, of 514 Burnett Ferry Road was charged with shoplifting and possession of dangerous drugs after an employee allegedly spotted her concealing items in her purse and in Wal-Mart bags.
Police say Salter was found with 70 items from the store worth about $300. They also found a bottle containing what police suspect to be five tablets of Xanax.
Salter was booked into the county jail and was held on an undisclosed bond amount.
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Security officer shoots woman accidentally www.privateofficer.com
Security officer accidentally shoots woman http://www.privateofficer.com
Investigators say that the security officer was responding to a disturbance call at the Villa Madrid Apartments on Club Creek at Beechnut . When he arrived, police say that he found a group of people who had been drinking, getting loud and disturbing others.
The police report states that the security officer asked the group to go inside. When the group approached the officer, he says he pulled out his gun with no intent to shoot, but that it accidentally went off.
The woman was transported to an area hospital and police investigators say that they are continuing their investigation in conjunction with the district attorney’s office to determine if any charges should be filed against the security officer.
The security officer could be charged with reckless endangerment, aggravated assault or a number of lesser offenses.
The name of the security officer or he worked for was not released.
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Hospital officers capture armed man www.privateofficer.com
Hospital security officers capture armed man http://www.privateofficer.com
A Waunakee man is in the La Crosse County Jail, after police say they found him armed with a handgun and ammunition at the Gunderson Lutheran Medical Center.
Police responded to the La Crosse medical center just before 8 a.m. Saturday after being notified by the security department that were detaining a man who had brought a firearm inside the hospital.
They say the man, identified as 46 year old Michael J. Barrett initially spoke with a cafeteria employee, who was concerned with his comments and contacted security personnel.
The La Crosse Police Department says it doesn’t appear Barrett had any connection to Gunderson Lutheran or its employees.
Security officers then searched the area and found Barrett and took him into custody.
Police say Barrett is being held on charges of carrying a concealed weapon and disorderly conduct.
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Theater shooting leaves officers injured, suspect dead www.privateofficer.com
Theater shooting leaves 2 officers injured, suspect dead http://www.privateofficer.com
Two El Segundo police officers – both medal of valor winners – were recovering in the hospital Saturday after a shootout in a movie theater that left one suspect dead and a bystander injured, authorities said.
Lt. Raymond Garcia was shot in the jaw and Officer Scott O’Connor was hit in the shoulder in the Friday night gunbattle.
Both men were taken to County-Harbor Medical Center, where they were expected to make full recoveries, authorities said.
The shooting occurred about 10:15 p.m. Friday at the Pacific Beach Cities Stadium 16 on Nash Street.
The two officers were on regular patrol at the theater when they were called to help an employee who was involved in a dispute with the suspect. The officers quickly intervened and while they were patting the man down, he allegedly pulled out a handgun and started shooting, authorities said.
Although they were both injured, the officers were able to return fire, striking the suspect, authorities said.
He was pronounced dead at the scene. The coroner’s office identified him as Jonathan Taylor, 24. A city of residence was not available.
A bystander, a 20-year-old male, was shot in the leg. It was not known who shot him. He was also taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
After the shooting, the theater was immediately put on lock down, with patrons not being allowed to leave until they could be questioned by police.
“There were literally hundreds of potential witnesses,” said El Segundo Mayor Kelly McDowell, who accompanied several council members at the scene Friday night.
El Segundo police were joined by teams from nearby communities.
“I have never seen more police vehicles in one spot,” McDowell said. “We had SWAT teams from Gardena. Sheriff’s and airport police responded. Inglewood was there. Every department from the South Bay was there.”
Officers searched in and around the theater for possible companions of the gunman and took two suspects into custody at a nearby parking structure.
But authorities said Saturday that those men were apparently not involved in the shootings.
McDowell visited the officers in the hospital. He said, “O’Connor was up and alert.”
“He’s dying to get out of the hospital,” the mayor said. “Ray was sleeping when we visited, but he looked good. His color was good. Apparently there’s no imminent additional surgery for him.”
Both men were also visited by their wives and several officers.
Garcia was honored with the South Bay Police and Fire Medal of Valor in 2001 for grabbing hold of a suicidal woman planning to jump from a freeway overpass and not letting go until help arrived. He was off-duty at the time.
O’Connor received the award a year earlier for rescuing three neighbors, including an elderly woman and a mentally disabled man, from a burning home.
Outside the theater Saturday morning, there were no visible signs that anything had happened just 12 hours earlier.
Patrons wandered up to check show times and workers behind the counter prepared popcorn.
At 11:45 a.m., the ticket window opened and a small line of patrons formed to catch a matinee.
“As always, our primary concern is the safety and security of our employees, customers and our community,” said a spokesman for Pacific Theatres. “We have been fully cooperating with the investigation.”
Culver City resident Lindsey Jackson, 26, was just outside the theater when the shooting occurred. She was talking on the phone to a friend inside the theater when she heard four gunshots.
“It was really loud and echoing,” Jackson said. “Like five to seven seconds later, people started running around the corner.”
Her friend told her that the gunman was next to him in line. She said her friend heard the gunman arguing with an employee about a refund.
“He couldn’t find his ticket stub,” Jackson said. “She said, `We’re going to have to have security escort you out.”‘
Jackson returned to her car and was able to drive away from the theater before more officers arrived.
“People were driving like madmen,” she said. “People were just getting away.”
The two officers were at the theater as part of an agreement the city reached with the developer of the property several years ago when someone fired a gun there, McDowell said.
“The landlord pays for additional protection,” McDowell said. “I don’t know of any other shootings.”
Culver City resident Kevin Turner was watching a movie with his girlfriend in one of the theaters when the lights came on.
“About five minutes later, someone tried to go outside, but a cop pointed a shotgun at him.”
After about 20 minutes of waiting, officers went row to row talking to customers before letting them leave.
“I called my mom,” said Turner, 21. “She was scared.”
McDowell said he didn’t expect the shooting to hurt business in the area.
“The overwhelming response that occurred shows our commitment to public safety,” he said. “This was an isolated incident. Movie theaters, wherever they’re located, tend to attract the occasional bad apple. The way the incident was handled was proof of how committed we are to keeping this place safe.”
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Police, security capture burglars www.privateofficer.com
Security, police capture burglars http://www.privateofficer.com
Security officers patrolling the Baltimore Gas and electric facility in the 700 block of New Waugh Chapel road said that they spotted a couple of men who had jumped a fenced area and was stealing wire.
Security officers notified Anna Arundel county Police and officers responded to the area but the two had fled prior to their arrival.
Responding police officers, including a police dog and a helicopter, searched the area. The helicopter crew saw someone hiding under a parked pickup truck in a gated adult community, and officers moved in and were able to him into custody.
Officers continued to search the area for a possible second suspect and a short time later, a citizen called to report a suspicious person hiding in an outdoor alcove of a condominium in the same community, and that person was arrested.
Ian Keith Gaither Sr., 23, of the 7500 block of Furnace Branch Road and Josh Albert Strong, 23, of the 200 block of Olden Drive were charged with two counts of trespassing, malicious destruction, theft and fourth-degree burglary.
Police recovered 288 feet of copper and aluminum wire and returned it to BGE.
The utility company is a prime target for thieves trying to steal copper wire and security personnel say that they stay vigalant at all of the BGE sites.
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Man arrested for robbery during beer run www.privateofficer.com
Man arrested for robbery during beer run http://www.privateofficer.com
A Highland man was arrested just after midnight Friday morning on suspicion of armed robbery and threatening a convenience store security guard with a knife, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department reported.
The man was seen placing a number of beer cans in his waistband under his shirt at a Thrifty Gas station, according to the sheriff’s news release.
When confronted by the security officer, he became angry and pulled out a knife, using it in a threatening manner, police said. He ran from the store without paying for the beer.
Deputies responding to the area soon found the man and after being stopped by deputies he was found to be possessing two beer cans and the knife.
Michael Darby, 41, was booked into the Central Detention Center in San Bernardino.
The security officer was not injured.
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